KM Viray
Jessica Hayes, a 38-year-old consecrated virgin, has married Jesus Christ in a wedding ceremony at iCathedral of the Immaculate Conceptionn Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Consecrated virgins are Catholic women who choose to remain celibate their entire lives. They are different from nuns in that they live out their religious calling outside of a convent and live relatively normal lives as ordinary people outside the church. Unlike nuns, they do not have to take vows of poverty and obedience during their “wedding” ceremony to God. They do, however, wear white and receive a ring and veil to represent their marriage to Christ.
Hayes is a theology teacher at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne. After years of prayer and soul-searching. she finally decided to “marry” Christ. Nothing in her life would really change, except she will not be able to get married to anyone else or have sex for the rest of her life.
Hayes saw nothing different with her marriage to Christ. She said their marriage is the same as anyone else’s with their own spouse.
A wedding ceremony was conducted with hundreds of witnesses, most of whom were simply curious strangers. Nonetheless, they were welcomed at the service. She also hoped this may inspire others to find their calling the same as hers as well.
“Now that I’ve made a public commitment, that’s really an encouragement to me to live up to that because people know that this is who I am and my life needs to be lived in conformity with that,” she explained.
Interestingly enough, the preparations for the ceremony were treated exactly how any bride-to-be would prepare for the most important day of her life.
Like most brides-to-be, Hayes spent a lot of time deciding what gown she would wear. She shared how she really considered the appropriateness of the occasion for her dress.
“I wanted my shoulders to be covered, and I would have to lie prostrate before the altar, so I really wanted to make sure that I was well-covered in a way that still shows the beauty of a bride,” she said.
The service is not literally a marriage. However, it does use symbols of a wedding like the dress, veil, and ring. During the service of consecration, the virgins must resolve to “persevere to the end of their days in the holy state of virginity and in the service of God and his Church.”
All over the world, there are only 3,500 consecrated virgins. She is the first consecrated virgin at the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese in 25 years.
